There are several technologies that allow a user to share images, video, and audio from a computing device to a larger screen without wires.
For example, Miracast is a wireless display standard designed for mirroring, extending, and projecting from a smartphone, tablet, or PC's screen to a display device (e.g., a television, monitor, or projector) without requiring any physical cables. Miracast allows devices to discover each other, connect to each other, and mirror, extend, and project the contents of their screens wirelessly. Miracast is designed to be a cross-platform standard.
As standard, Miracast is defined over Wi-Fi Direct. When using typical Miracast over Wi-Fi Direct, a user who wishes to connect to a Miracast receiver will be shown a list of current receivers within the range of Wi-Fi Direct. However, there is no way for a user to distinguish among these wireless receivers unless the receivers have been named using a context-based scheme such as a naming convention that relates to physical location. For example, when a user wishes to connect to a wireless receiver during a meeting there may be no way to determine which receiver to choose unless the receiver ID matches the name of the meeting room or the receiver ID is physically marked on the receiver. In the first instance, naming schemes based on location are difficult to maintain when receivers are moved or removed and as new receivers are added to the system. Even when the receiver is physically labeled, the user must still manually compare the receiver ID on the receiver in the meeting room with the list of in-range receivers shown on the device. Further, users must go through this exercise every time they attend a meeting in that room. As such, there is a need for an improved way to automatically discover the correct wireless receiver to use for a meeting.
This problem is compounded by the risk in inadvertent disclosure of restricted material. For example, connecting to the wrong receiver may risk exposure of confidential, private, or otherwise restricted information to unintended recipients and/or at unintended locations.
Miracast over Infrastructure is an extension of the Miracast standard that allows for use of Miracast over a network, such as an enterprise network. With Miracast over Infrastructure, discovery of wireless receivers occurs differently. Discovery uses mDNS broadcasts that will find all receivers on the local logical subnet with the Miracast sender. However, that logical subnet may span any number of locations that are not within physical proximity of the Miracast sender. As such, a user who wishes to connect to a Miracast receiver may receive too many available receivers to be able to efficiently and correctly choose the right one. As such, there is a need for an improved way to discover the correct or best available wireless receiver using Miracast over Infrastructure.
Miracast over Infrastructure also allows for user devices to connect to any Miracast receiver within the local network including receivers that are part of a different logical subnet than the user device. However, user devices are not capable of discovering receivers located in a different logical subnet even if the device has connected to a particular receiver before. Therefore, there is a need for an improved way for computing devices to connect to Miracast receivers in different subnets.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that examples have been made. Also, although relatively specific problems have been discussed, it should be understood that the examples should not be limited to solving the specific problems identified in the background.